Authorities arrested the man who was living inside the Bronx drug house that exploded Tuesday morning, killing an FDNY battalion chief and injuring 20 others, law enforcement sources said.
Julio Salcedo was arrested in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, by the Regional Fugitive Task Force made up of NYPD detectives and US Marshals. He was busted on a warrant for a petty crime, according to law enforcement sources.
He’d been renting the two-story home at 300 W. 234th St., where firefighters found a marijuana-growing operation while they were responding to a call about gas.
Salcedo, 34, has been arrested at least five times, most recently in April on charges of strangulation and unlawful imprisonment, law enforcement sources said. He’s also been arrested on drug and grand larceny charges, according to sources.
Michael Fahy of Battalion 19, a 17-year member of the FDNY, was killed by a piece of roof that flew through the air when the home exploded.